A business and entrepreneurship teacher at the Windham Regional Career Center has been named the 2026 Vermont Teacher of the Year. The Vermont Agency of Education announced Tuesday that Linda Alvarez, a business instructor for the past four years, will officially begin her new role on January 1, 2026. Alvarez is the first Career and Technical Education (CTE) educator to receive the annual award, which has been presented since 1964. The announcement highlighted her commitment to equity, innovation, and preparing students for meaningful lives beyond the classroom. In her classroom, Alvarez’s students design and develop real-world projects, such as a food truck business, to gain hands-on experience. She has also served as a Future Business Leaders of America advisor and is an adjunct professor at Vermont State University. As Vermont’s Teacher of the Year, Alvarez will serve as an advocate for students and educators throughout the state.
Dairy farmers throughout the Northeast are now eligible to apply for the Dairy Farm Improvement & Modernization Grant via the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. This grant, which has a total funding amount of $750,000, is designed to support a variety of projects focused on enhancing farm viability, improving milk quality, ensuring better worker conditions, promoting economic sustainability, and increasing climate resilience. Grants will be awarded in amounts ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, requiring a 25% in-kind and/or cash match. These grants are accessible to applicants from all 11 Northeast states that the organization serves, and the application period will remain open until December 4, 2025, at 2 PM.
A new series of workshops is set to provide cannabis license applicants with the essential business, compliance, and cultivation skills necessary for success in Vermont’s regulated cannabis marketplace. These short-term courses, developed in collaboration with VTSU, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, will take place on December 5-6 at the VTSU Johnson campus. The workshops are accessible to cannabis licensure applicants as well as the general public, although participation is limited to 12-15 individuals per workshop. The fee is $250 for each workshop, or $50 for social equity applicants, with tuition assistance available through ACCD.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.6 shook parts of northern New York and Vermont late Monday night. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor occurred at 11:39 p.m..The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 2.9 miles northwest of Chazy, New York, at a depth of 8.7 kilometers. Residents across the Champlain Valley, from New York to Vermont, reported feeling the shaking. No damage was reported.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott has urged a Republican state senator to step down following the leak of divisive messages from a national group chat. Politico was the first to report on these leaked communications. As per their report, the messages are said to have come from a young Republican leader group chat on Telegram. Screenshots shared by Politico showed that several participants in the chat made jokes about gas chambers, slavery, and rape. Republican State Senator Sam Douglass, who represents Orleans, is reportedly part of that chat and engaged in discussions that included racial stereotypes. In response to the leaked chat, Governor Scott described the messages as hateful, disgusting, and unacceptable. He further called for the resignation of Republican leaders involved in the chat, including State Senator Douglass.
Voters in Rockingham, Vermont, overwhelmingly ratified two previously approved projects during a special Australian ballot vote held on Tuesday. The two bond votes were required due to a misunderstanding of legal requirements. The projects approved were: Town Hall Roof: A $650,000 bond was passed 138-33 to fund a new roof for the Rockingham Town Hall, which includes the historic Bellows Falls Opera House. Meeting House Renovation: A $125,000 bond was approved 135-35, contributing to the planned $2 to $3 million renovation of the Rockingham Meeting House. The contribution fulfills a requirement for a local match to secure federal grants for the project. Work on the Town Hall roof is expected to begin immediately.
WTSA SPORTS FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15th 2025
THE BRUINS HAVE THE NIGHT OFF AND HEAD TO VEGAS ON THURSDAY AGAINST THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS, PUCK DROPS LATE AT 10PM
THE CELTICS LAST PRESEASON GAME IS TONIGHT AGAINST THE RAPTORS AT TD GARDEN, TIP OFF AT 7:30PM. CELTICS REGULAR SEASON STARTS WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22nd AT HOME AGAINST THE 76ERS.
The Patriots announced a three-year partnership with Hood® as its Official Milk and Sour Cream Partner. The Patriots are now in first place in the AFC East with a 4-2 record after the Buffalo Bills lost their game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots will play the Tennessee Titans next, a game that will be coach Mike Vrabel’s first trip back to Tennessee since being let go by the team.